Au Bi Research Articles

W–Au skarns in the Neo-Proterozoic Seridó Mobile Belt, Borborema Province in northeastern Brazil: an overview with emphasis on the Bonfim deposit

The Serido Mobile Belt (SMB) is located in the Borborema Province in northeastern Brazil and consists of a gneiss basement (Archean to Paleo-Proterozoic), a metasedimentary sequence (marble, quartzites, and schists), and the Brasiliano igneous suite (both of Neo-Proterozoic age). In this region, skarns occur within marble and at the marble–schist contact in the metasedimentary sequence. Most of the skarn deposits have been discovered in the early 1940s, and since then, they have been exploited for tungsten and locally gold. Recently, the discovery of gold in the Bonfim tungsten skarn has resulted in a better understanding of the skarn mineralization in this region. The main characteristics of the SMB skarns are that they are dominantly oxidized tungsten skarns, with the exception of the Itajubatiba and Bonfim gold-bearing skarns, which are reduced based on pyrrhotite as the dominant sulfide, garnet with high almandine and spessartine component, and elevated gold contents. In the Bonfim deposit, pressure estimates indicate that the skarns formed at 10- to 15-km depth. The mineralized skarns present the prograde stage with almandine, diopside, anorthite, and actinolite-magnesio-hornblende, and titanite, apatite, allanite, zircon, and monazite as accessory minerals. The retrograde stage is characterized by alkali feldspar, clinozoisite–zoisite–sericite, calcite, and quartz. Scheelite occurs in four ore-shoots distributed within the marble and at the marble–schist contact. The main ore body is 5–120 cm wide and contains an average of 4.8-wt.% WO3, which occurs in the basal marble–schist contact. Fold hinges appear to control the location of high-grade scheelite. The late-stage gold mineralization contains bismite (Bi2O3), fluorine-bearing bismite, native bismuth, bismuthinite (Bi2S3), and joseite [Bi4(Te,S)3], and also chlorite, epidote, prehnite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite. This gold–bismuth–tellurium mineralization exhibits a typical late character and occurs as a black fine-grained mineral assemblage controlled by conjugate brittle-ductile faults (and extensional fractures) that crosscut not only the banding in prograde skarn but also the retrograde alkali feldspar and clinozoisite–zoisite–sericite assemblage. The Au–Bi–Te-bearing minerals are intergrown with retrograde epidote, prehnite, chlorite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite, indicating that gold mineralization at Bonfim is linked to a late-stage skarn event. The polymetallic nature of the Bonfim deposit can be used as an important guide for the exploration of this type of skarn deposit in the Borborema Province, which potentially contains significant new, undiscovered gold and polymetallic deposits.

Thermodynamic assessment of the Ag–Au–Bi system

The Ag–Au–Bi system has been thermodynamically assessed through the Calphad approach by combining recently derived experimental data, in particular the phase diagram equilibria and the integral enthalpies of mixing of its liquid phase. A good agreement is obtained between the calculation and the experimental data. The resulting assessment will be incorporated into the thermodynamic description of the quaternary Ag–Au–Bi–Sb system, which is of interest in the lead-free soldering process for electronic materials.

Thermodynamic reassessment of the Au–Bi system

The Au–Bi system has been thermodynamically reassessed through the Calphad approach by combining new experimental data, in particular the enthalpies of mixing of the liquid phase recently available in the literature. A good agreement is obtained between the calculated and experimental invariant equilibria. The resulting assessment has been incorporated into the ternary thermodynamic description of the Ag–Au–Bi system which will be published soon and which is of interest in the lead-free soldering process for electronic materials.

Preface – Special Issue: Telluride and selenide minerals in gold deposits – how and why?

Tellurides (and selenides) of Au, Ag, Bi, Pb, and other elements are commonly reported as trace minerals associated with gold in metallogenetic belts and regions of various ages, and in individual deposits that span the magmatic-hydrothermal spectrum, as well as those formed in metamorphic terranes (e.g., Cook and Ciobanu, 2005 and references therein). The association among tellurium, selenium and gold is long recognized, and is most evident in the prevalence of Au–(Ag)– tellurides–selenides in some ore deposits. Despite this, it is only recently that tellurides and selenides have become widely used to help assess conditions of ore formation. This special issue therefore comprises papers in which the different petrographic and mineralogical aspects of telluride and selenide occurrences, as well as the geochemistry of the deposits themselves, are investigated in order to argument genetic interpretations. Several publications have previously emphasized the potential genetic connotation of tellurides and selenides in certain types of deposits. Spooner (1993), for example, concluded that the ‘magmatic’ signature given by the elemental association Au–Bi–Te–Se, together with other chalcophile elements, is the reason for the widespread presence of tellurides and selenides in deposits such as Archean Au-quartz veins, Hemlo-type Au deposits, and skarns. In an overview of mineralogical trends within deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, Marcoux et al. (1996) considered Bi–tellurides, –selenides and –sulfosalts as pathfinders for gold in the stringer zones of massive sulfide deposits. Meinert (2000) gave a first interpretation of the conspicuous Au–Bi–(Te)–(S) mineral association in Au skarns in terms of genetic processes. He stipulated that

Gold scavenged by bismuth melts: An example from Alpine shear-remobilizates in the Highiş Massif, Romania

Gold mineralization occurs in the Şoimus Ilii vein, the main Cu prospect in the Highis Massif, Western Apuseni Mts., Romania. The Highis Massif is part of the Highis Biharia Shear Zone, a 320–300 Ma Variscan greenschist belt, with a 114–100 Ma Alpine overprint. In Highis, phyllonites enclose an igneous core consisting of an Early Permian basic complex intruded by Middle Permian granitoids. The vein is hosted within basalt hornfels at its contact with the 264 Ma Jernova granite. Gold is not only present as native gold, but also as jonassonite (ideally AuBi5S4). The latter occurs as inclusions 1–30 µm in size in chalcopyrite; microanalysis gives the empirical formulae Au1.02(Pb0.47Bi4.51)4.98S4. The two Au minerals are spatially associated with Bi–(Pb) sulfosalts (oversubstituted bismuthinite, cosalite) and sulfotellurides/selenides (ingodite, ikunolite and laitakarite) in blebs/patches, mainly hosted in chalcopyrite. This Au–Bi–Te association overprints an earlier, chalcopyrite-quartz assemblage, occurring as trails along discrete zones of brecciation that crosscut former mineral boundaries. Curvilinear and cuspate boundary textures within the blebs/patches suggest deposition in a molten form. Mineral associations in combination with phase relations indicate that the Au–Bi–Te association formed as a result of melting of pre-existing native Bi (and possibly sulfosalts) at 400 °C under sulfidation conditions. These melts incorporated Au, Pb, Te and S as they moved in the vein during shearing and were locked within dilational sites. Native Bi occurs as coarse aggregates along vein margins, but in the Au–Bi–Te association, it is present only as small droplets in shear gashes, never together with other Bi- and Au-minerals. The Bi-derived melts are part of an internal remobilizate which also includes chlorite and adularia. Minerals in the system Au–Bi–Te were deposited from a neutral low reducing fluid during Alpine shearing in the Early Cretaceous. The fluid also assisted solid-state mobilisation of chalcopyrite and cobaltite. This study illustrates the significant potential of Bi, a low melting-point chalcophile element (LMCE), to act as Au scavenger at temperatures as low as 400 °C.

Controls on hydrothermal Fe oxide–Cu–Au–Co mineralization at the Guelb Moghrein deposit, Akjoujt area, Mauritania

The Guelb Moghrein Fe oxide–Cu–Au–Co deposit, with a total resource of 23.6 Mt at 1.88% Cu, 1.41 g/t Au, and 143 g/t Co, is hosted by an extensive metacarbonate body. However, it is restricted to up to 30-m wide tabular breccia zones developed parallel to discrete shear zones that transect the host metacarbonates. The Fe–Mg clinoamphibole–chlorite schists represent up to 1-m thick interlayer metasediments and localized viscous shearing in these shear zones. Siderite of the metacarbonate body was deformed into a breccia and was replaced by an ore and alteration assemblage comprised of Fe–Mg clinoamphibole, magnetite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, graphite, Fe–Co–Ni arsenides, arsenopyrite, cobaltite, uraninite, and Bi–Au–Ag–Te minerals. In contact with wall rock amphibolites, the metacarbonate body is enveloped by an alteration halo up to 40 m wide, consisting of biotite, actinolite, grunerite, chlorite, calcite, albite, and quartz. The Guelb Moghrein ore body is structurally controlled by shear zones that developed in the footwall of a regional thrust zone. This thrust separates greenschist facies quartz–sericite schists and biotite–garnet–quartz schists of the Sainte Barbe volcanic unit in the hanging wall from amphibolite facies metavolcanic rocks, metacarbonates, and the Guelb Moghrein ore body of the Akjoujt metabasalt unit in the footwall. Peak temperatures of the latter unit are estimated by hornblende–plagioclase thermometry at 580±40°C. Thrusting was retrograde for the Akjoujt metabasalt unit, but prograde for the Sainte Barbe volcanic unit at P–T conditions of about 410±30°C and 2–3 kbar (garnet–biotite thermometry). Structural and petrological evidences suggest that the ore fluids migrated along the shear zones and reacted with the siderite in the metacarbonate. This evolution and the setting of Guelb Moghrein in the fold-and-thrust belt of the Pan-African to Variscan Mauritanides (Mauritania, West Africa) resemble Proterozoic Fe oxide–Cu–Au–Co deposits such as examples from the Tennant Creek and Mount Isa Inliers, Australia.

Mineralogical and stable isotope studies of gold–arsenic mineralisation in the Sams Creek peralkaline porphyritic granite, South Island, New Zealand

At Sams Creek, a gold-bearing, peralkaline granite porphyry dyke, which has a 7 km strike length and is up to 60 m in thickness, intrudes camptonite lamprophyre dykes and lower greenschist facies metapelites and quartzites of the Late Ordovician Wangapeka formation. The lamprophyre dykes occur as thin (< 3 m) slivers along the contacts of the granite dyke. δ18Omagma values (+5 to +8‰, VSMOW) of the A-type granite suggest derivation from a primitive source, with an insignificant mature crustal contribution. Hydrothermal gold–sulphide mineralisation is confined to the granite and adjacent lamprophyre; metapelite country rocks have only weak hydrothermal alteration. Three stages of hydrothermal alteration have been identified in the granite: Stage I alteration (high fO2) consisting of magnetite–siderite±biotite; Stage II consisting of thin quartz–pyrite veinlets; and Stage III (low fO2) consisting of sulphides, quartz and siderite veins, and pervasive silicification. The lamprophyre is altered to an ankerite–chlorite–sericite assemblage. Stage III sulphide veins are composed of arsenopyrite + pyrite ± galena ± sphalerite ± gold ± chalcopyrite ± pyrrhotite ± rutile ± graphite. Three phases of deformation have affected the area, and the mineralised veins and the granite and lamprophyre dykes have been deformed by two phases of folding, the youngest of which is Early Cretaceous. Locally preserved early-formed fluid inclusions are either carbonic, showing two- or three-phases at room temperature (liquid CO2-CH4 + liquid H2O ± CO2 vapour) or two-phase liquid-rich aqueous inclusions, some of which contain clathrates. Salinities of the aqueous inclusions are in the range of 1.4 to 7.6 wt% NaCl equiv. Final homogenisation temperatures (Th) of the carbonic inclusions indicate minimum trapping temperatures of 320 to 355°C, which are not too different from vein formation temperatures of 340–380°C estimated from quartz–albite stable isotope thermometry. δ18O values of Stage II and III vein quartz range from +12 and +17‰ and have a bimodal distribution (+14.5 and +16‰) with Stage II vein quartz accounting for the lower values. Siderite in Stage III veins have δ18O (+12 to +16‰) and δ13C values (−5‰, relative to VPDB), unlike those from Wangapeka Formation metasediments (δ13Cbulk carbon values of −24 to −19‰) and underlying Arthur Marble marine carbonates (δ18O = +25‰ and δ13C = 0‰). Calculated δ18Owater (+8 to +11‰, at 340°C) and \(\delta^{13}{\text{C}}_{{\rm CO}_{2}}\)(−5‰) values from vein quartz and siderite are consistent with a magmatic hydrothermal source, but a metamorphic hydrothermal origin cannot be excluded. δ34S values of sulphides range from +5 to +10‰ (relative to CDT) and also have a bimodal distribution (modes at +6 and +9‰, correlated with Stage II and Stage III mineralisation, respectively). The δ34S values of pyrite from the Arthur Marble marine carbonates (range from +3 to +13‰) and Wangapeka Formation (range from −4 to +9.5‰) indicate that they are potential sources of sulphur for sulphides in the Sams Creek veins. Another possible source of the sulphur is the lithospheric mantle which has positive values up to +14‰. Ages of the granite, lamprophyre, alteration/mineralisation, and deformation in the region are not well constrained, which makes it difficult to identify sources of mineralisation with respect to timing. Our mineralogical and stable isotope data does not exclude a metamorphic source, but we consider that the source of the mineralisation can best be explained by a magmatic hydrothermal source. Assuming that the hydrothermal fluids were sourced from crystallisation of the Sams Creek granite or an underlying magma chamber, then the Sams Creek gold deposit appears to be a hybrid between those described as reduced granite Au–Bi deposits and alkaline intrusive-hosted Au–Mo–Cu deposits.

Bismuth X-ray absorber studies for TES microcalorimeters

Bismuth's large atomic number and low carrier density makes it an attractive X-ray absorber material for microcalorimeters. Bismuth's long fermi wavelength and long mean free paths have motivated much interest in the fabrication of high quality bismuth films to study quantum size effects. Despite such incentives, fabrication of high quality bismuth films has proven difficult, and measured properties of such films are highly variable in the literature. Implementing a bismuth deposition process for TES (superconducting Transition Edge Sensor) device fabrication presents additional challenges particularly at interfaces due to the inherent granularity and surface roughness of its films, its low melting point, and its tendency to diffuse and form undesired intermetallic phases. We report observations of Bi–Cu and Bi–Au diffusion in our devices correlating with large shifts in T c (superconducting transition temperature). Using SEM and in situ R vs T annealing experiments we have been able to study these diffusion processes and identify their activation temperatures.

Phase Equilibria in the Ag—Au—Bi Ternary System

AbstractFor Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

Phase equilibria in the Ag–Au–Bi ternary system

The aim of the action of Cost 531 taking into account the 11 elements: Ag, Au, Bi, Cu, In, Pb, Sb, Sn, Zn (solder), Ni and Pd (substrate) is the database assessment of candidates for lead free soldering process. Among those elements, we chose to study three of them forming the ternary Ag–Au–Bi system. We have determined its phase diagram using X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and electron probe micro-analysis. Four vertical sections (isopleths) were studied at 20 at.% Ag, 50 at.% Bi, 85 at.% Bi and the section with ratio Ag:Au = 1:4. The results give one transitory peritectic reaction and an extremely large primary crystallization area, L + α, restricting thus the two others reactions (L + (Bi) and L + Au 2Bi). Schematic representations of the ternary equilibria are given.

Charge exchange and X-ray emission in 70 MeV/u Bi–Au collisions

Charge exchange and X-ray emission for 70MeV/u highly charged ions of Biq+ [77⩽q⩽82] colliding with thin Au targets [21⩽t in μg/cm2⩽225] were measured at the heavy ion synchrotron SIS at GSI. For the innermost shells this beam energy implies a quasiadiabatic collision regime. The charge state distribution of the emerging ions was measured by a position sensitive CVD-diamond detector after being analyzed by a magnet spectrometer. Charge exchange cross sections have been deduced from the target thickness dependence of the charge state distribution. Electron capture at distant collision dominates completely over ionization at close collision. The X-ray emission from the collision partners were measured by solid state detectors, Ge(i). The K X-ray emission for closed and open incoming projectile K vacancies gives access to vacancy transfer in the superheavy quasi-molecule transiently formed during collision for the innermost shells.

Enthalpies of mixing of the liquid phase in the ternary system Ag–Au–Bi

The enthalpies of mixing of the liquid phase of the Ag–Au–Bi ternary alloys along the sections Ag x Bi 1− x –Au ( x = 0.11, 0.10 and 0.24) and Au x Bi 1− x –Ag ( x = 0.11 and 0.27) have been determined at 673 and 773 K. We used a SETARAM devised heat flow calorimeter of Tian-Calvet type. The values obtained are almost compatible with estimations from Scientific Group of Thermodata Europe (SGTE) binary database without adding ternary thermodynamic excess parameters. However, slight discrepancies are observed. The result of this study is useful tools for the Ag–Au–Bi ternary system thermodynamic computer optimization in process by the authors.

Thermodynamic investigations of Bi–Cd, In–Pb, and Ni–Pd liquid alloys

Abstract A model based on the existence of self-associates has been used to compute bulk thermodynamic properties of Bi–Cd, In–Pb, and Ni–Pd binary liquid alloys. Also, a statistical mechanics model has been employed to calculate the surface properties of these three alloys. Our study reveals that the degree of phase separation increases in the order Bi–Cd, In–Pb and Ni–Pd. Essentially, we find that Bi–Cd, like Au–Bi and Bi–Sb alloys, does not belong exclusively to the class of either segregating systems or to the short-range ordered alloys. Furthermore, we were able to predict the temperature dependence of the surface properties for our binary liquid alloys based on the knowlege of the results at their melting points.

Heat of Formation of Au–Bi Alloys

Heat of Formation of Au–Bi Alloys

Fluxless bonding process in air using Sn–Bi–Au design

A new fluxless bonding technique using Sn–Bi–Au design is presented. Microstructure and phase growth mechanism of as deposited Au/Sn/Bi films were first studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the crystallites of Au–Sn intermetallics are randomly distributed in Bi-rich matrix that forms a top-capping layer. The average size of AuSn2 and AuSn4 crystallite are 756 and 667 Å, respectively. The bonding process was performed at 250 °C in air without the use of flux. The resulting joints exhibit high shear strength of 4.9 kg and show only a few voids. Melting temperature of 225 °C was measured. The joint is composed of near eutectic Sn–Bi alloy with ribbon shaped AuSn2+AuSn4 intermetallic compound layer embedded inside the solder joint. The fracture of the Sn–Bi–Au solder joint mainly occurs along the interface between the Au–Sn intermetallic layer and the Sn-rich regions. This facture mode is ductile. The flux-free process is compatible with many pick-and-place machines that operate in ambient air.

Effects of growth temperature on the surface morphology of silicon thin films on (111) silicon monocrystalline substrate by liquid phase epitaxy

Abstract We investigated the effects of growth temperature on the surface morphology of silicon layers grown by liquid phase epitaxy method on a (1 1 1) oriented silicon substrate in a relatively low-temperature range from 600°C to 900°C using Au–Bi alloy solvent. Layers are formed in the following growth sequence: (1) commencing in the form of initial nuclei as starting points of growth, (2) these structures grow along lateral and vertical directions as island structures, and (3) coalesce each other. Moreover, it was made clear that flat layers tend to cover the substrate completely at high growth temperature, in order to clarify the main factor that influences the surface morphology, an empirical model of the growth process was constructed. As a result, the temperature dependence of the surface morphology mainly depends on the temperature dependence of the preferential growth direction of Si on Si (1 1 1).

Formation of Bi 2S 3 thin films on Au(111) by electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy: kinetics of structural changes in the initial monolayers

The kinetics and growth mechanism of the first and second monolayers of Bi 2S 3 by electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy (ECALE) has been studied using voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. Scan rate dependent cyclic voltammetry experiments reveal that the peak current in the stripping of the S layer from a Bi modified Au(111) electrode is a linear function of a 2/3 power of the scan rate, ν 2/3. Similar behavior is observed for the deposition of Bi on to one atomic layer of an S modified Au(111) electrode. The dissolution of the Bi atomic layer from the S modified Au(111) electrode involves an initial Langmuir-type adsorption–desorption accompanied by a nucleation and two-dimensional (2-D) growth process. When Bi atomic layers are used as a first layer, the nucleation and 2-D growth process was observed for both deposition and stripping. Analysis of the reduced variables demonstrates that the stripping of S from Au(111)Bi and stripping of Bi from Au(111)S fit the progressive model. Our results suggest that the nucleation and 2-D growth mechanism is the dominant process in the formation of Bi 2S 3 atomic layers if Bi is used as the first layer in the ECALE method.

The Archean Chalice gold deposit: a record of complex, multistage, high-temperature hydrothermal activity and gold mineralisation associated with granitic rocks in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

The Chalice gold deposit (∼20 t Au produced), in the southwestern portion of the Late-Archean Norseman–Wiluna greenstone belt of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, is hosted both in a sequence of intercalated mafic and ultramafic amphibolites and a post-peak metamorphism monzogranite dike. The deposit is flanked on the western side by calc-alkaline plutonic rocks, and to the east by a predominantly monzogranitic pluton, with at least four generations of monzogranitic dikes that intrude the local mine stratigraphy. Locally, four deformation events (D 1–D 4) have affected this sequence of amphibolites, and two stages of gold mineralisation are recognised, controlled by the progressive D 2 event. Main Stage gold mineralisation (95% of the resource), which is demonstrably later than all granitic bodies except second generation and subsequent monzogranite dikes, is controlled by localised D 2 asymmetric folds developed in the mafic amphibolite. It is expressed as veins and wall-rock replacement, characterised by a prograde assemblage of quartz–diopside–plagioclase–K-feldspar–titanite–pyrrhotite–pyrite–magnetite±garnet, hornblende, scheelite and biotite. Second Stage gold mineralisation (5% of the resource) is associated with the intrusion of a monzogranite dike and is expressed as disseminated gold in the dike, as well as foliation-discordant veins of quartz–gold, quartz–diopside–gold, actinolite–gold and molybdenite–tellurobismuthite–gold. Detailed field mapping and petrography suggest that Main Stage gold mineralisation at Chalice is equivalent to hypozonal orogenic lode–gold mineralisation in other Archean greenstone belts of the Yilgarn Craton, whereas monzogranite-associated Second Stage gold mineralisation is atypical of such deposits. The Main Stage mineralisation cannot be correlated to any particular granitoid in the local environment, although temporally, it is bracketed by granitic magmatism. A deep magmatic or metamorphic source cannot be resolved from the field data. It is also uncertain as to whether Second Stage mineralisation represents a true magmatic-gold event, or is a product of the assimilation and remobilisation of Main Stage gold, during the intrusion of the monzogranite dike. However, its distinctive metal association of Au–Bi–Mo–Te–W suggests the former. Irrespective of this uncertainty, Chalice remains as a deposit which is more intimately related both spatially and temporally to granitic magmatism than other Yilgarn deposits.

Granite-hosted gold mineralization at Timbarra, northern New South Wales, Australia

The Timbarra gold deposits, located in the southern New England Fold Belt of New South Wales, Australia, represent an economically significant and distinctive member of the intrusion-related class of gold deposits. The five known deposits possess a total identified mineral resource of 16.8 Mt at 0.73 g/t gold, for a total of 396,800 contained ounces. The granites in the Timbarra region form a texturally complex, zoned pluton. The gold deposits are found within the Stanthorpe leucomonzogranite (242 to 238 Ma), which intrudes and forms a core to the more mafic, barren, Bungulla monzogranite (248 to 243 Ma). Gold is disseminated in the roof zone (upper 240 m) of a fractionated, magnetite- and ilmenite-bearing, I-type leucomonzogranite phase of the Stanthorpe body. The entire gold resource occurs in the areally extensive main leucomonzogranite pluton and is hosted by a medium- to coarse-grained granite. Disseminated ore is present in all five deposits, comprises >95% of the overall resource at Timbarra, and occurs predominantly as gently dipping, tabular to lenticular bodies that are conformably constrained beneath a fine-grained aplite carapace and internal aplite layers. The disseminated ore consists of gold-bearing muscovite–chlorite–carbonate alteration and infill of primary miarolitic cavities within massive leucomonzogranite or microgranite, and contains no discernable vein, joint, or fracture control at the outcrop or hand specimen scale. Structurally controlled mineralization forms the remaining 5% of the Timbarra resource, and comprises minor, low-density (0.02 to 0.25 per meter), vein-dikes and quartz–molybdenite veins emplaced along steeply dipping east-southeast, east-northeast, and north-northeast striking cooling joints. Both mineralization styles and alteration share a common paragenetic sequence of mineral precipitation. Quartz, perthitic K-feldspar, minor biotite, and albite are the earliest and most abundant infill minerals and commonly line primary cavities and vein-dikes. Subsequent minerals include coeval arsenopyrite, pyrite, fluorite, and molybdenite. The latest minerals include muscovite, chlorite, gold, calcite, silver–bismuth telluride, lead–bismuth telluride, and rare galena and chalcopyrite. The gold ore has a low total sulfide mineral concentration (≤1%). Ore contains elevated concentrations of Bi, Ag, Te, As, Mo, and Sb; gold is strongly correlated with Bi, Ag, and Te, but only weakly with Mo, As, and Sb. Gold grains are generally <1 to 50 µm in size, but rarer grains as large as 1 mm in diameter have been observed. Gold fineness ranges from 950 to 600, and varies both within and between individual grains for a given deposit. The moderately oxidized I-type host granite, low-sulfide (≤1%) ores, Au–Bi–Ag–Te geochemical signature, muscovite–chlorite–carbonate alteration assemblage, and low-salinity aqueous and carbonic fluids suggest that Timbarra is part of the newly recognized intrusion-related gold deposit class. Timbarra is distinguished from other intrusion-related gold deposits by the disseminated mineralization style within pervasively altered granite, forming gently dipping, tabular to lenticular ore zones.

Preliminary mineralogical and petrological study of the Ortosa Au–Bi–Te ore deposit: a reduced gold skarn in the northern part of the Rio Narcea Gold Belt, Asturias, Spain

The Ortosa deposit (NW Spain) in the northern part of the Rio Narcea Gold Belt (RNGB) is located in the Cantabrian Zone of the Iberian Massif. This zone corresponds to the westernmost exposure of the European Hercynides. The deposit is hosted by marine shales, siltstones, calcareous siltstones and interbedded sandy limestones of the upper part of the Silurian Furada Formation. These rocks are intruded by a main stock and numerous sills and dikes consisting of a reduced, ilmenite-bearing quartz-monzodiorite (Ortosa intrusion). Skarn metasomatism and associated gold mineralization overprinted these sedimentary and igneous rocks, forming endo- and exoskarns.The earliest stage of alteration involved potassium metasomatism from which metasomatic biotite developed in the hornfels around the intrusion. In the endoskarn, the first metasomatic mineral to form is actinolite. Subsequently, quartz, pyroxene (Hd30–45), and sulfides (mainly arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite) formed, followed by a second generation of amphibole (ferroactinolite and ferrohornblende). The exoskarn is a pyroxene-garnet skarn, which is often banded. The prograde minerals are pyroxene (Hd10–30) and grossular garnet. The retrograde mineralogy consists of hedenbergite-rich pyroxene (Hd50–87), amphibole (ferroactinolite–ferrohornblende), and the metallic minerals with minor fluorapatite, K-feldspar, albite, epidote–clinozoisite, vesuvianite and calcite. A final stage of retrograde alteration is characterized by calcite, quartz, and chlorite.Pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite are the more abundant metallic minerals, and löllingite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and sphalerite are present in smaller amounts. The gold occurs as native gold and maldonite, and is accompanied by hedleyite, native bismuth, and bismuthinite. These Au–Bi–Te mineral assemblages occupy cavities and fractures in the arsenopyrite or in the pyrrhotite.Estimated physiochemical conditions of formation based on the composition and stability fields of major calc-silicate and sulfide minerals indicate that the hedenbergite-rich pyroxene and the earliest sulfides (löllingite–pyrrhotite–arsenopyrite) crystallized at temperatures between 470 and 535°C at low logfS2 between −10 and −6.5 and low logfO2 of −22. The Ortosa skarns can be included in the reduced gold skarn subtype defined by Meinert (Mineralogical Association of Canada, Quebec city, Que., Canada, 1998, 26,359–414 ).